|
While the people of northern Japan are still shivering in the aftermath of a bitterly cold and snowy winter, the fortunate inhabitants of the southern islands are getting out their bathing suits. The true harbinger of springtime in Japan is the cherry tree, which starts to bloom in March and April. Although these elegantly beautiful trees are at their best for only a few brief days in any one place, if you followed the blooms northward you could spend six weeks from late March to mid-May enjoying the spectacle up the length of Japan.
Towards the end of June, the mild, sunny and windy spring soon gives way to summer and the start of a month long rainy season. The onset of the southerly Pacific winds also brings the start of a heavy rain season to the island of Shikoku.
| 
